


We're Not Going To Work Out

by Basic_Spirit



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Competitive Riku, Gym AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-05-13 13:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14749364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basic_Spirit/pseuds/Basic_Spirit
Summary: In a bustling university town, Riku's one place of solace is at the gym. No one from his school goes there; it's the only place he has to himself. This all comes crashing down when another student starts coming, starts threatening Riku's one private spot, and then starts showing up everywhere. Insult to injury is, Riku can't help but admit this stranger is attractive.





	1. Race

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends! I got for you another cute little Soriku AU based off some experiences I have had at the gym and around campus lately so I hope you enjoy :) I don't usually start posting stories until I've completed them, and this one isn't complete, so I'll definitely be relying on all your feedback to keep the chapters rolling!

Breathe, step, step, breathe. Sweat beaded on Riku’s forehead. His heart rate was at its absolute peak, his pulse hammering in every artery of his body. His lungs strained for oxygen. His eyes were focused. His heart rate flashed on his wrist - 175, 180, 185. This sprint would be a new record. Five minutes in the peak zone at a time was what he wanted. He was nearly there.  
  
His wrist buzzed, signaling his sprint was over. He slowed back to a jog, panting, legs jittery. The treadmill whirred a little less now, he grabbed his water bottle and guzzled. Another great workout.  
  
Riku absolutely loved this gym. It was close to his apartment, inexpensive, but (best of all) undiscovered by the other students at his university. His fitness was something very important to him, and the crowded school gym was not his forté. Every time he came to the East Insula Fitness Centre, it seemed to only be elders working out. This meant he got first dibs on all of the equipment. He hadn’t seen another teen in the two months he’d been coming here.  
  
But today was different. His limbs were heavy with lethargy, pushed to their absolute limit, and as he walked over to the mats to stretch, his eyes fell upon a head of hair that was definitely not grey.  
  
On the far side of the mat, a brown-haired young man was doing twists with a medicine ball. Riku’s heart leapt in his chest and he suddenly felt defensive of this establishment. How dare this kid show up to _his_ gym? He tried not to pay notice, grabbing a cloth and wiping down the mat before lying on his back, pulling his tired legs up to his chest.  
  
He told himself this was a fluke. This guy must be visiting the area. University kids didn’t live as far out as he did; this wasn’t going to happen again.  
  
But the next morning, when he arrived at the gym precisely on time (7:30 AM – he was a stickler for schedules), the brown-haired man was jogging on the treadmill. Riku bit his tongue and opted for the elliptical. He tried to comfort himself: one gym was enough for two men and numerous seniors to share. He could work out other times. He could do weights in the evening. He was fine.  
  
When Riku arrived at the EIFC after dinner, who else but the brown-haired boy was on the bench, pressing a considerable amount.  
  
Riku didn’t want a workout buddy, but it seemed the universe was intent on giving him one.  
  
For the rest of the week, he tried not to pay the other any attention. He started going earlier to get his spot on the nice treadmill, the one set to kilometers, not miles. Old folks liked to walk on it with the steepest incline. There were three side by side, so Riku always politely selected one on the edge.  
  
Just as he was hitting his first wall, an all-too-familiar figure climbed on the empty treadmill directly next to him.  
  
All of a sudden, Riku was far too aware of his puffing, of the redness in his face, his sweaty top-knot and drenched tank top. He never had to care about his appearance at the gym – everywhere else, he had, but not here. Not before.  
  
He told himself he didn’t care. He adjusted his speed from jogging to running – 7.5. He focused on his music, his breathing. He gazed blurrily forward, trying not to notice the jiggling of his legs.  
  
When the music cued him, he pumped his speed up to 11, limberly pacing over the band beneath him. He heard the louder paces beside him and snuck a glance at the treadmill’s screen to his left. His “friend” had increased his speed to 11 as well. Riku smirked. So this was a competition now? He peeked at his Fitbit to make sure his heart was in the right range before increasing speed by a couple more points. The brunette followed suit.  
  
There was no way this was a coincidence. This was war.  
  
Riku knew his endurance was impressive. There was no way this newbie could keep up. Instead of heightening his speed again, he balanced his breath and focused. Six minutes at these speeds earned him another kilometer.  
  
But the brunette didn’t slow either. Riku just wanted to clench his fists – now his workout was fucked. He was supposed to save his long sprint for the end: his muscles were already screaming at a measly three kilometers. He slowed back to a walk and grabbed his water bottle. The other man did this as well, looking over at him. It seemed for a second he was going to say something, but (lucky for him) he decided against it. Now all Riku wanted was a shower. He fled the gym and went back to his apartment.  
  
It was that morning in his shower that he began to discover why his distaste for the brunette was so strong. The gym had always been his private time; it didn’t matter what the old folks thought of him. He could push himself without any self-consciousness. Now, this brunette served as a competitor, someone to outdo. And even worse than beating him, Riku wanted to impress him! Riku wouldn’t deny that the other guy was good looking, but it didn’t matter if he was gay or not – Riku always wanted to be the best. He was used to people looking up to him; he was used to being the coolest of the crop. Now, he had two options: take it easy and look suave, or go hard and risk looking like a tomato.  
  
He still just wished that privacy pirate would leave him alone.

* * *

  
The next day he was at the gym, he skipped the cardio and went for weights. In the summer he had been more focused on bulking up, but now he was more focused on a slow but steady improvement in performance. He knew his limits well and wasn’t afraid to benchpress.  
  
Less than halfway through his second set, a shadow blocked out his light. He looked up to see a head of spiky hair silhouette by the pot light above him. “Need a spotter?”  
  
Riku dropped the bar back on the top of the bench and pulled out one headphone, frowning. “No thanks.”  
  
“I don’t mind,” the brunette said easily. “I want to bench after, so I’ll just be waiting around anyway.”  
  
Riku couldn’t help but eye the smaller man’s arms. He was thin but definitely had some muscle. “How much can you bench?”  
  
“195,” the brunette said carefreely. “Same as you.”  
  
Riku reddened a shade. His muscles showed much clearer than this smaller boys’. There was no way in hell they could bench the same amount. “Sure, help out if you want.” Riku went back and the brunette stood above him, watching the bar go up and down.  
  
He was flabbergasted when the switched positions and the brunette effortlessly benched the plates.  
  
Fuck, maybe he was a little attractive.

 


	2. Home

After school, when Riku got home, he stopped in the lobby to open his mailbox. A thick brown package fell out of the small compartment along with his thin bills. He furrowed his brow and looked at the front of the package, not finding his own name, but someone else’s.  _Sora Inuri._ Checking the address, he found that the package had been addressed to 213 E – the tower he lived in had an east and west building, and he was 213 W. You’d think the postman would’ve made this distinction by now.  
  
Riku wrapped his cardigan around his shoulders and crossed the parking lot to the east tower. The door was propped open and he let himself into the lobby, beelining to the twin mailboxes on this side. Of course, they were all locked and he couldn’t fit the package into the 213 E box. The superintendant’s office was empty. He climbed the stairs to the second floor.  
  
The door to 213 E had a seashell wreath around the number. The package was too thick to fit under, so he was reduced to knocking. A soft call of  _“coming,”_ came from inside, and Riku stood awkwardly.  
  
All of a sudden, the door opened before him and a wonderful homey aroma flooded out. Before him stood the same brunette from the gym. Both of them gawked. Riku lost his words.  
  
“I, uh… uhh,” the blond looked down at the package in his hands. “They delivered this to the wrong place. Is this…?” He extended the envelope.  
  
The brunette took it from his hands. “Oops. Yeah, that’s mine. Sorry.”  
  
They stood there awkwardly for a second, thoughts turning over in each of their heads.  _Sora._ “Would you like to come in?” the brunette eventually asked.  
  
Riku snapped back to reality. “Uh – no, sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s fine.”  
  
Sora smiled pleasantly. “No, it’s no trouble at all. You’re welcome to come in. So, are you from around here?”  
  
Riku’s face was heating up. “Sorry, I’m really busy, I should be heading home… sorry about your package!” He turned and started walking away.  
  
“It’s totally fine!” Sora called after him, waving. Riku was embarrassed.  
  
There was no way this was a coincidence.

* * *

  
For a little while, things calmed down. Riku saw Sora at the gym regularly, but Sora hadn’t tried to talk to him again since he’d delivered the package. Every time it seemed Sora was about to say something, Riku would quickly change directions to avoid an awkward conversation. There were no more mail mixups.  
  
Riku prided himself in his fashion sense, at least outside of the gym. Even though it was now November and chilly outside, Riku sported a jean jacket and scarf each day on the way to school. His hair was always neatly combed and straightened right down the middle; he looked clean, presentable.  
  
He was surprised, for some reason, when on a Monday morning, he found Sora standing at the bus stop.  
  
It figured, really – they lived in the same building, the bus drove straight to downtown. Riku was positive this brunette didn’t attend his university; he definitely would have noticed him before. He kept his distance at the bus stop, minding his business, hands in his pocket, AirPods in his ears. The bus would be here soon.  
  
Would Sora recognize him outside of the gym setting?  
  
Sora got on the bus without noticing Riku (or acknowledging Riku) and the blonde followed, politely choosing a seat far from the familiar stranger. As always, he got off a stop before the school so he could grab a Starbucks beverage before class.  
  
He stood in line, scrolling through his Instagram feed on his phone while he waited. He kept thinking he was seeing Sora in the photos. There was  _no way_ his good friend Kairi had ever met him; it was just a similar looking guy.  
  
He ordered his vanilla latte and went over to the other side of the counter to wait. He checked his class syllabus to make sure he hadn’t forgotten any readings for his first lecture of the day (what a good student!). He stood in the small crowd, waiting for his drink to be called out.  
  
“Vanilla latte,” the barista announced, putting the drink up on the shelf. Riku started to make his way to the counter, but someone in front of him in a brown knit hat grabbed it first.  
  
“Hey—“ Riku started. “That’s my drink–“  
  
The latte thief turned, and  _of course_ it was the brunette.  
  
Riku blushed. He straight up turned red, completely in disbelief. This wasn’t happening. This kid sure as hell wasn't teleporting to fuck with his head, to take everything that Riku defined himself by. Sora  _hadn’t_ got off the bus. This wasn’t happening. Riku started for a moment, waiting for the brunette to morph back into a stranger, turn out to be someone that looked similar to him.  
  
But it didn’t happen. The brunette held up his latte and gave a small smile, pointing to the cursive handwritten  _Sora_ next to the label.  
  
Riku was shocked, embarrassed.  He stood there, jaw gaping, heating up. “I…” he ducked his head in shame, unable to utter an apology.  
  
“Vanilla latte,” the barista called again, depositing another drink on the counter. Riku grabbed it without another word and jetted for the emergency exit.  
  
What was this stranger doing to him?  
  
Riku went to class and tried not to think about Sora. He tried not to consider why he was suddenly seeing his face everywhere – was this really new, or had he just not noticed him until he stood out in the gym? – and why they had so much in common. Was this guy stalking him? He’d never met someone as complex as himself, although he was sure there were people out there. Still, it seemed unlikely his soulmate would be living across the parking lot from him.  
  
However, he couldn’t completely distract himself. His thoughts were already wandering for the majority of his Classics class, so he didn’t feel guilty pulling out his phone and laying it on the desk. He perused Instagram, pretending to be casual before giving up and searching Sora’s name.  
  
Sure enough, he found him. The account was private (very expectable) with a sensible username and follower count. They shared a ton of mutual followers. The school name was in his bio along with his graduating year, so it seemed he was a student at U of EI but younger than Riku. Riku didn’t want to follow him; he didn’t want to be named, especially not after this morning’s incident.  
  
Riku was hoping Sora would drift away from him again, but it seemed fate was insistent on bringing them together.  
  
After his final class, he bundled up again and headed back out to the bus stop, partially glad to not see Sora waiting there. He climbed on, picked a warm seat near the back and pulled out a book to read.  
  
He tried not to look up when someone sat next to him. He didn’t need to, he already knew who it was.  
  
Did Sora not recognize him? The brunette in the knit hat looked identical to how he had this morning; there was no way he couldn’t identify that the platinum blond he was sitting next to was the same guy who’d tried to take his drink in the morning, and the same guy he stood next to every day at the gym! Riku stayed very still, trying not to move, trying not to prompt a reaction. He didn’t want a confrontation on the bus, and maybe it was best if Sora didn’t make the connection.  
  
So Riku continued to look at his book, no longer able to read. He acted casual, brushing a hand through his hair, turning his eyes slightly to see what Sora had on his lap. An iPhone stuck out of his pocket, headphones trailing up to under his hat, and Sora had an economy textbook on his lap. Riku was in econ as well, but he definitely hadn’t seen Sora in class before. (Had he?)  
  
God, were they in the same program?  
  
When the bus finally neared their apartment, Sora reached over Riku to pull the cord. So he hadn’t caught on. The two got off, one behind the other (believe me, Riku had considered riding to the next stop so he wouldn’t have to follow the stranger home, but it wasn’t worth it) and turned to their respective buildings.  
  
Riku risked a peek back at Sora to find Sora looking at him. The brunette gave him a little smile before entering the lobby, and Riku’s heart flipped.  
  
He was so cute.


	3. School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback I've been getting LITERALLY is blowing me away so enjoy this chapter friends! <3

As November progressed, finals got closer and closer. Riku was focusing in to prepare — these exams were important for him; they played a defining role in his future. That meant spending less time at the gym, skipping the protein shakes, staying up and waking up later, and an overall decrease in general wellbeing. He was stubborn; he would do what he had to do.  
  
He was efficient, too, making good use of all the time he had. In the first week of December, after his class but an hour before an appointment he had downtown, he stopped into the Learning Commons at his university. It was a medium-sized building with lots of private rooms available for booking; it would give Riku a quiet place where he could sit with his computer and squeeze in a little more review time.    
  
Now, usually, these rooms would be reserved beforehand; Riku was notorious for logging on the school website weeks in advance and booking out a small room in the few hour breaks between his classes. He hadn’t realized he’d have a spare hour on campus, so he hadn’t booked a room. It was busy since it was so close to finals, so most of the rooms were already full. He approached the desk.  
  
“Hi,” he said quietly to the grad student manning the station. “I didn’t make a reservation, but I was wondering if there are any rooms open for the next hour?”  
  
The student typed into the computer, bringing up the full schedule. Most of the rooms were greyed out and reserved, but one of them had a nice little block opening for the next hour. “We do,” the desk clerk gave Riku a tired smile. “It only has a 3-4 person capacity; is that enough for you?”  
  
Riku nodded, gripping his computer bag a little tighter. “Yes, please, I’d like to reserve it if you wouldn’t mind.”  
  
The grad student nodded. “Sure. Can I see your ID?”  
  
Riku dug into the depths of his overloaded pack and finally produced his wallet, showing his school ID so the grad student could create the reservation. The process was far longer and harder than doing it from the comfort of his laptop at home; the questions the clerk had to ask him went on and on.  
  
“So, what is the description of the reservation?” the clerk tiredly read.  
  
“It doesn't matter,” Riku said hurriedly, his one hour already running out. “Just put _personal studying for macro2100._ Does that work?”  
  
The clerk nodded. “Alright, I’m submitting it now…” Riku waited so slowly for the reservation to load through on the computer. When the connection finally went through, he furrowed his brow at the error message popping up.  
  
“What does that mean?” Riku asked, squinting and leaning closer to the screen.  
  
“Huh,” the student looked just as stumped. “It says it is no longer available… hey, did you just book a room?”  
  
Riku suddenly noticed someone in line behind him, waiting in line at the desk too.  
  
“Oh, yeah,” the other behind him said. “I just booked it, like, one minute ago on my phone. I think it’s room number 7?”  
  
“Is that the one we were booking?” Riku asked the grad student. She nodded. Riku shook his head in disappointment.  
  
“Hey,” the other behind him spoke up again. “I was just booking it so I could sit somewhere by myself to work! If you want to come to sit in the room, you’d be welcome!”  
  
Riku finally turned and found the gym brunette behind him. Extending him a hand, smiling. Had just snatched his study room right from under his nose and was now inviting him to study… together? His face heated up a little. He didn’t know what to say, but totally outside of his own volition, he heard himself agree, “that’s all I was going to do, too. Sure.”  
  
“This worked out nicely,” the student clerk smiled.  
  
So Sora lead Riku towards room 7. It was small; the 3-4 person rooms were the smallest the learning commons had to offer. Riku took a seat on one side of the desk and dug out his laptop. Sora did the same on the other side.  
  
“I’m Sora, by the way,” he said as he started up his Macbook air.  
  
That’s right, they never really had been introduced. “I’m Riku,” he said, almost shyly.  
  
Sora brushed a spiky piece of brown hair back behind his ear. “Cool. You… you go to the EI Fitness Centre, right?”  
  
Riku looked down and laughed a little. “Yeah, I do. Thought you looked familiar.”  
  
“Hmm,” Sora agreed, logging into his computer and popping his headphones in. “Good luck studying.”  
  
So they did exactly that. For the remaining part of the hour, Riku and Sora worked independently, slowing warming up to the sheer proximity of each other. Riku’s blush withdrew, and he felt like a normal person, studying casually with an acquaintance.  
  
Sora sneezed the coughed into his sleeve, wiping his nose. “Sorry, I don’t want to get you sick,” he defending himself, “I’m so gross…”  
  
Riku laughed. “It’s totally fine, I always get sick around exams too.”  
  
They were getting along. Really, with as much in common as they had, there was no reason they shouldn’t. When the hour was up, Riku got up and started packing his bag. “Thanks again for letting me use the room,” he graciously acknowledged.  
  
“What exam are you studying for?” Sora asked, eyes still on his screen.  
  
“Macroeconomics 2100,” Riku answered.  
  
Sora snorted. “Same. Good luck next Tuesday, then.”  
  
Riku was a little surprised. His sleuthing was usually flawless; Sora should have been a year behind him. He stopped himself from pushing more, asking Sora what program, what other classes he was taking. He forced a, “Same to you,” and smiled at him. “It was nice meeting you.”  
  
“Yeah, I’ll see you around,” Sora grinned.  
  
He definitely would.

* * *

  
That night, Riku was doing planks in his living room when his iPhone rang. Holding his stance, he paused his music and reached forward, turning it on speakerphone. “Hello?” he asked as levelly as he could.  
  
“Hey Riku, it’s Kai,” his childhood friend acknowledged.  
  
“Kairi, long time no see,” Riku couldn’t help himself from smiling. They’d gone to high school together, but she’d ended up at a university across the province from him. “How are you?”  
  
“Good, and you?” she asked. Without waiting for him to respond, she went on, “I have the craziest story to tell you.”  
  
Riku continued to grin. “Okay, go ahead.”  
  
“So I think you might’ve met a guy I met last summer at that lab camp I was at,” she started, “his name is Sora.”  
  
Riku shook his head and dropped out of the plank onto his stomach. “No way. You really do know him?”  
  
“So the Riku he met _was_ you!” she exclaimed. “What are the odds, huh! So anyway, I met him a couple months ago but we’ve stayed in touch, and he calls me today to tell me about how he met this guy! This blond guy named Riku, and I was like, pfft, there’s no _way_ that’s my Riku. Anywho, he says you were really nice to him and he went on Instagram and followed, like, seven people that go to UofEI that are named Riku. I was just surprised there were that many.”  
  
“Wait, why?” Riku asked.  
  
“He _gushed_ about you,” Kairi insisted. “He thinks you’re the coolest guy ever!”  
  
“I think he’s stalking me,” Riku admitted. “He pops up everywhere I go.”  
  
“Trust me, he’s not like that,” Kairi defended Sora. “He’s a very sweet guy and it sounds like he really wants to get to know you!”  
  
Riku was glad Kairi couldn’t see him blush. “Why? What does he like about me?”  
  
“What _don’t_ people like about you?” Kairi retaliated playfully. “You’re a great guy, Riku, you should really try to make some more friends.”  
  
“Whatever, Kairi, I don’t need your life advice,” Riku dismissed her. “Just – don’t tell this Sora guy anything about me, okay? I don’t want you trying to push us together. Let things happen naturally.”  
  
Kairi gave a gentle laugh. “I never said he was gay.”  
  
Riku was taken aback: “That’s not what I meant–”  
  
“Don’t worry, he is,” Kairi interrupted. “But I can step back, I understand. Just invite me to the wedding, okay?”  
  
“ _Bye_ Kairi,” Riku forcefully said and hung up, still lying on the floor and smiling like an idiot. 


	4. Switch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, another chapter! Sorry about the delay, always getting distracted with side projects and a new job but hopefully now I'll have more time for this story! Things are starting to progress for our dear friends Sora and Riku... ;)

The next week, exams began. Riku felt fine; he dealt with stress well. The morning before his first exam (the macroeconomics one he’d been studying for every day of the last week) he meditated, showered, ate a healthy breakfast then pumped himself up with intense music while he was on the bus. Riku performed well under pressure; today would be no exception.  
  
Jamming to _I Don’t Fuck With You,_ he climbed onto the bus, took a seat confidently at the back and looked his equation sheet over one more time. Everything was working out fine, he’d be at the exam in plenty of time. As the rest of the students piled on at his stop, the bus started to close its doors, preparing to pull away. By chance, Riku glanced out the window and glimpsed Sora struggling with his bag, half running towards the bus stop from the parking lot of their apartment complex.  
  
In an instant, Riku pulled the cord to request a stop and stood up, calling to the bus driver, “Hey, can you wait a second? Someone else is coming.”  
  
Thankfully, the bus driver stopped and opened the doors again, and Sora was on in a heartbeat, panting and showing his bus pass.  
  
For someone as smooth as he was in the gym, Sora seemed almost klutzy everywhere else.  
  
Riku tried to forget it, slow his racing heart and focus on his pre-exam ritual, changing to another equally vulgar song and retracing the formulas one more time. The bus ride went fast, and soon enough, everyone was unloading a block away from the school and Riku was packing his things away for the last time. “I can do that shit with no effort,” Riku sang along under his breath as he disconnected his headphones and silenced his phone, putting it on airplane mode and shutting it completely off for good measure.  
  
He dropped his coat and backpack in the designated area and brought his exam materials with him into the large gymnasium. He had a clear pencil case with multiple pencils, pens, highlighters, rulers, and two calculators for good measure. He also brought a water bottle and a granola bar to keep his head clear. Picking a seat near the front of the room, he laid out his materials and started filling out his name in his exam booklet. Time was counting down, they’d start soon.  
  
Someone approached him from the right. “Hey, Riku–” He looked up and immediately jerked back, finding a frazzled looking Sora touching his arm. “I’m really sorry to bug you b-but I forgot my calculator at home and I saw you had two–”  
  
“Here,” Riku immediately deposited one of his calculators in Sora’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. Good luck.”  
  
He tried not to notice as Sora moved back and took the seat diagonally behind him. He was too close for Riku’s liking, Riku already worried and self-conscious about himself again. (Why did he care so much? He didn’t care if everyone else heard him sniffle and scratch in his answers, so why did he care if Sora did? He didn’t have time to consider this now.)  
  
The exam, actually, was fairly easy. It didn’t take Riku the full time to finish it, but he was forced to sit around and wait until Sora left as well. When the three hours had finally passed, everyone got up. Sora handed Riku back his calculator, a shy look of gratitude on his face. They chatted lightly on the way out of the exam and back to the bus stop. They were starting to plausibly become friends.  
  
The rest of exams were far less eventful; Riku didn’t see Sora again until it was all over and Christmas break had started. Riku always stayed for Christmas; it was too expensive to fly home for three weeks, and he was alright on his own. Once the exams were done, East Insula quieted down considerably. Most people who lived around were here for university, and most of them went home. That meant Riku had plenty of time to return to the gym and make up for the workouts he’d been skipping.  
  
This also meant he was seeing a lot more of Sora. The brunette had resumed his regular schedule as well, which still overlapped with Riku’s. Nowadays, both of them were spending close to two hours at the gym: cardio for the first little while, then a focused muscle group workout. This wide window of time meant the two were seeing each other pretty much every day.  
  
It was about a week before Christmas that Riku really took notice of Sora at the gym. Riku had been there earlier that day and was already on the spin bicycle, timing his sprints, trying not to take notice of everyone else around him. He’d forgotten his headphones, maybe that was what made this day special, so he couldn’t block out his surroundings as much as he’d have liked.

He vaguely knew that Sora was on a treadmill somewhere to his left, but it hadn’t been any active observation. Riku wasn’t trying to ignore him anymore; they often waved at each other when one entered the gym. Riku couldn’t overlook the gym supervisor walked past him. Usually stationed at the front desk, if the supervisor was out walking around, a smackdown was about to occur. Riku slowed his pace a little and barely turned his head to watch.   
  
His heart dropped when he saw the supervisor stop in front of Sora’s treadmill.   
  
He pretended not to be listening to their conversation. The supervisor gestures to Sora and he slowed the treadmill, taking out his headphones.   
  
“Young man, the shirt you’re wearing does not adhere to our dress code,” the supervisor said uncomfortably loudly to Sora.   
  
“Oh…” the brunette was already reddening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I swear I’ve seen other people wearing them–“  
  
“You’re showing too much torso,” the supervisor said. “You have to leave and change or else your membership will be suspended.”  
  
“Really?” Sora was breathing quicker. “I can’t even stay to finish my workout?”  
  
“Sorry, but no, we are really locking down on these rules,” the supervisor had her arms crossed.  
  
Sora was desperately looking around for someone else to place blame on; someone else breaking the code that wasn’t getting in shit. Riku knew it was sketchy to wear cut off tanks to the gym, but he had in the past with no issue. There was no reason Sora should be in trouble; he wasn’t disrupting anyone, he wasn’t making a show, the gym wasn’t even particularly full.  
  
Riku didn’t know why he found himself getting off the bike, puffing up his chest and walking over.  
  
“Excuse me,” he said evenly, not out of breath in the slightest. “Ma’am, I think you may be overstepping. The dress code specifically says _appropriate fitness attire,_ nothing about the level of coverage needed. I have worn shirts like this multiple times in my years as a member here and have never been disciplined for it. He is not causing any trouble, I’m sure it will be fine for him to complete his workout today as long as the offense does not occur again.”  
  
The supervisor narrowed her eyes at Riku but was clearly outnumbered. “Well, I suppose that’s fair. If I see it again, there will be consequences, for both of you, you hear me?” Luckily, this was enough to get her to back off.  
  
Sora looked at Riku with starry eyes, mouth gaping, still slightly out of breath from his workout. “Wow. You didn’t have to do that.”  
  
Riku smiled, maybe for the first time feeling like he was the one with the upper hand in their interaction. “Hey, I gotta look out for my friends. She’s such a hardass, you really didn’t deserve it.”  
  
“How can you do that?” Sora’s mouth was still open in awe. “Like, just walk up to someone and know what to say! I’m shook.”  
  
Riku laughed lightly at his choice of words. “Don’t worry about it, really. Go on, finish your workout.”  
  
He could feel Sora still staring thankfully the rest of the day.  
  
They _were_ friends.


	5. Fruit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the delay in this chapter! I had a bit of trouble deciding where I wanted this story to go, but I think I have a plan now so hopefully shouldn't take too long to get the next few chapters out! This story won't be too long, probably only another 2 or 3 chapters after this one! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, friends :)

Christmas came and past uneventfully; Riku spent it with his parents via Skype and bought himself a pre-roast chicken, enjoying it by his tree. The time between Christmas and New Years was uncertain; he was already prepared to return to his classes.

Sora had a mind of his own, it seemed. Working on some inner hidden scheme, perhaps, to cultivate a strange friendship between the two. One morning in the gym when the two were jogging next to each other, Sora passed his phone over to Riku. They hadn’t been talking, they hadn’t been there together. Both still had their headphones in. Riku gripped Sora’s phone tightly, trying to focus on what the screen was showing. He slowed to a walk and turned up the brightness on Sora’s iPhone. He was staring at the contacts app, open to an empty contact just labeled _Riku._

Sora pulled one headphone out and grinned at Riku. “I want to get to know you better!”  
  
Riku was stunned, flattened, blushing and embarrassed. “W-what?” He knew exactly what Sora had said but he couldn’t believe his ears.  
  
The other paused his treadmill and leaned over. “I’m asking you for your number so I can text you. Talk to you, get to know you, y’know? So we can become friends? And, like, hang out?”  
  
Riku had no idea what to do. He hadn’t had his number asked for many times before. Was he supposed to give a fake? Didn’t he want to be able to text Sora? Or, did that just mean their awkward encounters would happen all the time, even at a distance? He found himself filling in the contact, his last name, his number, his address and _postal code,_ god knows why, functioning entirely on autopilot.  
  
“Text me whenever,” Sora grinned, already sending a message to Riku’s phone. “You should come over to my place before Christmas break is over!”  
  
Riku was still stunned. “Excuse me?”  
  
“Y’know... hang out, watch a movie, chill?” Sora tried to elaborate. “I don’t care about the specifics, but I think you’d be fun to spend time with, so text me back, okay? If you don’t, it’s just gonna be awkward when we see each other at the gym, huh?”  
  
Riku’s own phone buzzed with a new message from an unknown number. “That’s me,” Sora smiled, replacing his headphone. “We’ll talk later!”  
  
Sora left the gym first, and by the time Riku was on his way home, he was already shaken up. The greeting from the number he knew was Sora’s was still unread so it was visible on his lock screen every time he opened his phone. He left it until after he’d showered, gotten changed, and downed a sports drink. Only then did he feel alright enough to hit Sora with a, _how are you?_ and create a contact for the other man.  
  
Sora replied almost immediately, _good! u?_  
  
Riku was rushing to pick up on the register Sora was using. The playful _u_ should have been expected; Sora did seem like a bit of a goofball. _Can’t complain,_ Riku replied.  
  
For the better part of the next hour, Sora and Riku texted. Sora was full of questions, so the conversation was pushed forward. Riku was terrible at texting, but Sora seemed to have an endless supply of witty remarks and new questions. Riku learned a lot about the other boy – Sora was a year younger than him but had transferred some credits from high school, so although this was his first year at university, he was taking a few second-year classes. Both were pursuing some variation of a commerce degree, so it was likely their courses would overlap a few more times in the rest of their undergrad. Sora used to lifeguard, which is where his love for fitness originated from. Riku was lying on his bed, hair still wet from the shower, completely invested in this text conversation.  
  
Out of the blue, Sora invited Riku over to his apartment. They both knew it was only in the other tower of the building, so the distance would be no problem. It was getting a little late, but neither had any plans the next day. Riku was tense; he didn’t want things to be awkward. Moreso, he didn’t want to get or give the wrong impression. At the gym, the way Sora had phrased it sounded like hanging out was the same as Netflix and chill. Did the younger teen know what that inferred? Was Sora really inviting Riku over for a dick appointment?  
  
Riku decided there was no way that was the truth, so agreed to come over. He threw on his nicest sweatpants and cutest university t-shirt (Riku was a master of the careless elegance look) and finally ran a brush through his hair, shoving his feet into his boots and shouldering on his coat to run across the parking lot.  
  
He buzzed into 213E and Sora buzzed him in without a word. It felt weird walking through the mirror of his own building to his twin apartment. That seashell wreath around the number still made the place feel like home. He knocked on the door and Sora opened it almost right away. The other boy was wearing a dorky graphic tank top and fuzzy pajama pants – his arms were beautiful and muscular and tanned despite the few months of winter that had already passed.  
  
“I thought we might as well just talk in person!” Sora said to break the awkward silence that was already growing between the two. It was definitely easier for them to talk over text, but if they really were going to be friends, they had to start getting used to spending time together. Sora could sense Riku’s sudden hesitance so ushered him in, taking off his coat and hanging it up. “Here, would you like something to eat?”  
  
Riku knew he probably shouldn’t be eating this late at night and was preparing to turn down Sora’s offer. However, when his eyes fell on the bowl of fresh grapes sitting on Sora’s dining table, his mouth watered. “Maybe just a snack…”  
  
Sora sat casually at one corner of the table, cross-legged in a chair. He popped a grape into his mouth. “I love having fruit around the house. It’s so good, so easy to eat. Better than just snacking on chips, huh.”  
  
“Absolutely,” Riku agreed. There was so much good healthy food in the world; you just had to find it.  
  
They sat quietly for a moment, eating their grapes, staring into the middle distance. “Do you want to hear some of my favorite music?” Sora asked out of the blue. “I make a lot of playlists, I can put one on for you.”  
  
At least it would take up the silence. “Sure,” Riku agreed, meeting Sora’s bright blue eyes for half a second. The other young man was up, hustling to his bedroom, and returned with a small wireless speaker and his iPhone in hand. Riku just had to sit back and listen as Sora paired the speaker with his phone and started a playlist.  
  
“This one has some nice alternative music, and some kind of electronic stuff, too,” he took a seat by Riku again and grabbed his water bottle, taking a slug. “It starts slow, but each song gets faster.”  
  
“You’ve really thought this through,” Riku noted.  
  
Sora shrugged. “I made this one mostly over the summer, I had more time then. This is definitely my best-constructed playlist; a lot of the other ones are more just what I like.”  
  
“What do you like?” Riku asked.  
  
Sora shrugged. “Everything. Honestly, I’ve got a playlist for pretty much every genre.”  
  
Riku listened to the soft electronic song playing, one fairly unfamiliar. “Really?”  
  
Sora made a strange face. “Yeah. I’m pretty easy to please!”  
  
They continued to eat grapes as they progressed through Sora’s playlist. Riku recognized a surprising number of the songs (well, by now, it was hardly surprising finding more in common with the younger student) and enjoyed Sora’s arrangement. Once the grapes were finished, they each ate a banana as well. Riku was mindful of these things, carefully breaking the compromising shaped fruit into chunks with his fingers and eating it bite by bite. As it got later, they moved to the more comfortable chairs in Sora’s living room, each starting to sag with tiredness. Riku got Sora’s soft couch, lying with his feet up and a blanket over his torso as the more rhythmic songs of the playlist were hardly enough to keep him awake. Sora took the living chair and was sitting sideways, legs dangling off the arm. They had both become increasingly comfortable, browsing their phones as they enjoyed Sora’s playlist.  
  
Eventually, Riku noticed himself starting to doze off. A glance at the clock on his phone would’ve revealed it was already nearing 1 in the morning. He forced himself upright, stretching. “I should probably head home now.”  
  
Sora looked pensive for a second and Riku wondered if he was going to ask to stay the night. If Sora had asked that, Riku wasn’t sure he’d be able to say no. But Sora didn’t, he straightened up as well. “Yeah, I’m really tired. Let me get your coat.”  
  
At the door, they didn’t know how exactly to say goodbye. Sora was sleepy, so his push on their conversation was now lacking. The brunette yawned and leaned on the doorframe. “Goodnight, Riku,” he said, extending his arms slightly, as if for a hug.  
  
Riku was too tired and too clueless to pick up on this gesture, and instead grasped Sora’s outstretched hand in a hearty handshake. “Talk to you later,” he promised, and stumbled home to collapse in his own bed.


	6. Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the long delay! Got distracted with work and other stories and school... but enjoy an extra long chapter in return!

The end of their winter break came quickly and before they knew it, they were back in school. Riku felt bad for being so awkward, so with the new year coming in, he promised himself he’d make more of an effort to be sociable. He told himself this was to everybody, but deep down he knew he just meant to Sora. This fledgling friendship was something he didn’t want to lose, and he was afraid if he didn’t put more effort in, Sora would stop trying.  
  
The way he was around Sora was completely different from who he was around everyone else – usually, Riku was cool and suave and knew just what to say. Around Sora, even a month after they’d met, he was still bumbling and afraid of saying something embarrassing. Sora was definitely not hard to impress, but Riku was so strangely awkward around him.  
  
So his resolution was to try harder to be himself around Sora. This entailed hanging out more, texting, getting to know his new friend.  
  
They were standing by each other on a snowy day when the bus was full, smiling and chatting lightly, making more eye contact than usual. Riku liked that Sora was a few inches shorter than him – honestly, it made the brunette very cute. (But a friendships came first, he reminded himself. Sora didn’t seem eager to date or hook up so Riku let that be).  
  
Sora was scrolling through instagram so Riku could see the pictures too. He liked one of a pasta dish at a restaurant, posted by one of his friends.  
  
“Hey, I know that place,” Riku reached around Sora to scroll back up to the image, inspecting it more closely. “It’s called Eastern Warehouse. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in East Insula.”  
  
“Really?” Sora looked at Riku with starry eyes. “I’ve never been.”  
  
“We should go,” Riku suggested on a whim. “It’s not too expensive, the food is great, and they have sweet fairy lights all across the ceiling.”  
  
“So, you free Friday?” Sora asked somewhat playfully.  
  
A little bit of heat gathered in Riku’s cheeks. “Are you serious?” he asked a little unsurely. When Sora nodded, he brushed his hair back out of his eyes, suddenly a little shy. “Alright. Friday.”    
  
It was only after they got off the bus and headed to their respective classes that Riku realized he should have clarified if this was a date or not.  
  
He didn’t see Sora again that day. The gym was fairly quiet when he went before dinner, comfortably warm despite the winter chill. He was starting to miss running next to Sora on the treadmill.  
  
Kairi had been Riku’s confidant for the extent of his new relationship with Sora. She’d been following each awkward encounter, each hangout sesh. Of course Riku would reveal to her about their dinner plans. He called his friend while he was walking back from the gym.  
  
“So, yeah, _totally_ on a whim, I just, like, invited him to dinner,” Riku was smiling as he recounted this story. “It’ll be fun, it’s so long since I’ve had a nice meal.”  
  
“So, it’s a date, right?” Kairi gossiped.  
  
“No,” Riku said deliberately. “We’re just friends. Friends go out for food all the time.”  
  
“What?” Kairi screeched. “Okay, hold on, Sora already called me to tell me about this and he _specifically_ specified that you had invited him on a date. He thinks it’s a date. It’s totally a date.”  
  
Riku slowed, gripping his phone tighter. “Kairi, are you serious right now?”  
  
“Riku,” her voice was even. “You can’t honestly invite a man out for dinner and expect him to not think that it’s a date. He’s so excited, you better not let him down!”  
  
“Oh my god, no,” Riku was clutching his forehead now. “No, Kairi, I wasn’t trying to date him!”  
  
“What?” she sounded genuinely concerned. “Come on, man, be honest with yourself. You _at some point_ will want to date Sora, right? Or you’d be happy to date him?”  
  
“Of course!” Riku exclaimed a little louder than he should’ve. Other people on the street were starting to stare now. “I mean – if we are being honest here – he is really attractive! But like… I don’t want to rush things before he’s ready. I’d rather keep him as a friend than lose him as a boyfriend. I…” his voice was quiet now, “I know he’s special.”  
  
“Look, Riks,” (when Kairi used his affectionate nickname, he knew it would be followed by something serious) “If Sora didn’t want to go on a date with you, he wouldn’t’ve said yes. You might as well start this relationship now; trust me, once you get into it, you won’t want to lose any time.”  
  
She was being sensible. Riku continued walking. “Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me. Please don’t talk to Sora about what we said. I get that you guys are close, but you’re, like, my best friend.”  
  
“My lips are sealed,” Kairi reassured him. “Now get your ass home! That howling wind is making me cold through the phone.”  
  
Riku was a little thrilled as he got back home, his cheeks red from not only the wind. He was starting to realize just how much Sora meant to him. Now was the time for him to get his act together; behave the way he should’ve from the start. No more of this bumbling, postal code, handshake-giving nonsense. He was suave, and he was going to woo the fuck out of this freshman.  
  
The rest of the week flew by. Sora and Riku didn’t see each other much outside of a few quick encounters in the hall, at the Starbucks, exiting lecture, at the gym. They texted, but didn’t talk about the date. Sora continued to seem enthusiastic, pushing their conversations forward. Riku tried his best to hide his nervousness.  
  
Suddenly, Friday arrived. Riku’s schedule was nice; he was done all of his classes by 12:30, so this usually meant a long weekend. However, today, that just meant more time for him to stress about this first date with his cute new friend. He worked out (his muscles always seemed a little more defined after a good pump up, and he knew it wouldn’t hurt) then showered, moisturized, straightened his hair, brushed his teeth. He tried on at least three outfits before he found something he was happy with: a forest green cable knit sweater and dark khakis. He couldn’t help but wonder what Sora could wear.  
  
What else did people do before dates? Relationships were under duress at this time in society – sexting seemed more the go-to over dinner dates. Should he expect Sora to want to come back to his apartment after? Did what underwear he put on matter? Dating, in fact, had become such a rare occurrence that Riku hardly knew what to expect. He tried his best to be open-minded, but he couldn’t help a thousand cliches from filling his mind.  
  
The weather calmed down by the time it came to 5:30, so Riku walked to the restaurant. They hadn’t made a reservation and it was busy, but Riku was sat quickly. He’d beat Sora there.   
  
For half a dozen minutes, Riku sat and waited, drinking water the waiter had politely brought over. He tried not to let his mind wander, thoughts that Sora might’ve forgotten, or worse, stood him up, already nibbling at the edge of his mind. He reminded himself of Kairi’s logic: Sora wouldn’t have said yes if he didn’t want a date. Things were going to be fine.  
  
Before he knew it, that familiar brown face was coming in, a hat just lightly dusted with snow uncovering the brown spikes he was starting to learn so well. Sora looked cold, his cheeks red and rosy, but his face lit up when he saw Riku. He somewhat awkwardly skirted around the other tiny tables in the restaurant,  and by the time he reached Riku, the other was standing.  
  
“Sorry I’m late,” Sora started, already shouldering off his coat and setting it on the back of his chair. He had on a dress shirt under a sweater, just barely peeking out from around the edges. He was (as always) painfully adorable.  
  
“It’s alright,” Riku stepped a little closer, preparing to hug him. That’s what people do, right. However, Sora didn’t seem initially receptive to the motion, so Riku clarified, “I’m going to hug you now, alright?”  
  
Sora clued in. “Yeah, of course!” The returned embrace was enthusiastic and warm. This was a good sign. They sat down, Sora eagerly taking a sip from his own water. “Did you have to wait long?” the brunette asked.  
  
Riku glanced at the menu once again. “No,” he lied, since it had felt like eons.  
  
“It smells so good in here,” Sora bubbled, glancing at his own menu. “Are you gonna get an appetizer?”  
  
His quick wit always caught Riku off guard. “Uh – if you wanted one…”  
  
Sora exhaled, still staring at the menu. “I’m alright, either way, just wanted to know if I should even bother looking at them.”  
  
“We could get something to share?” Riku boldly suggested. “Maybe like…”  
  
“The scallops?” Sora suggested, cutting him off.  
  
Riku shut his mouth, cheeks heating a little. “Yeah, how’d you know…?”  
  
Sora shrugged. “Idk, just, like, they sound really good. It’s a classic choice. Is that really what you wanted too?”  
  
Speaking in text abbreviations out loud, god bless his little heart. “Yeah,” Riku stammered, already starting to lose his cool. “So we’ll split that?”  
  
“Yeah!” Sora was much more enthusiastic. “Sounds great.” He rubbed his hands together, still half numb from the cold. “Now I just have to pick out my main.”  
  
Of course, Riku had already decided on what he was getting long before Sora had arrived. He was the kind of person to look at the menu hours beforehand so he knew exactly what he was getting into. While Sora perused the menu, Riku couldn’t help noticing those cold, red hands. He wanted to be bold, smooth. He extended one of his own hands across the table, leaning in to give it some extra distance, leaving it slightly palm up, close to Sora.  
  
However, the gesture wasn’t immediately noticed. It was only once Sora had put down the menu that he noticed Riku, still in the posture, and somewhat coyly slipped his own hand into Riku’s.  
  
“What did you choose?” the brunette asked.  
  
“I’m gonna get the cavatappi,” Sora smiled, manner slightly toned down now from his earlier enthusiasm. “You?”  
  
“The chicken farfalle,” Riku decided. “You can try some, if you’d like.”  
  
Sora’s smile really could light up the room. “I’d love to.”  
  
After they’d placed their orders, there was a painfully long wait in which the two had to make some form of conversation. Over text, things were always incredibly light – what’s your favorite cake, what kind of music do you like – but now, the air seemed incredibly serious. At some point around when the waiter had taken their order, they’d stopped holding hands, and Riku’s nerves were too fried to give it another shot.  
  
“What _are_ you?” Sora suddenly abstractly asked, the candle between them casting stars into his eyes. He was staring deeply at Riku, into his soul.  
  
Riku was reminded just how awkward Sora made him and tried to keep his cool. “Uh… what exactly do you mean?” His voice came out so much shakier than he intended.  
  
Sora continued to observe him. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. You’re strong, but you’re not… meaty. You’re pretty.”  
  
Riku couldn’t help but laugh and look down, finding Sora’s gaze unbearable to keep. “Thanks, but honestly if any of us are pretty, it’s you.”  
  
Sora half-rolled his eyes grinning. “You flatterer. I’m not pretty.”  
  
“You’re cute,” Riku insisted. “Which isn’t a bad thing at all. It-it’s a good thing. I like it.”  
  
For maybe the first time ever, Sora blushed slightly. “Thank you.” Riku wasn’t quite sure if it was true blush or just lingering effects of the cold night. Sora shook his head and himself and smiled, “where have you been all my life? Honestly.”  
  
“You came to me,” Riku pointed out. “I didn’t go anywhere.”  
  
“Fate must’ve brought us together,” Sora said seductively, eyes lidded. “That, or the cheap prices at the EIFC.”  
  
Riku laughed. “Cheers to that.” He lifted up his water glass and clinked it to Sora’s.  
  
The food arrived, and (as predicted) it was delicious. Eating off the same plate of scallops wasn’t too strange, and it was worth it. Both their pasta dishes were great, too. Things were much less awkward when they had the food to talk about. The restaurant mostly emptied out by the time their bill arrived.  
  
Sora and Riku both reached forward quickly, but Riku ended up his hand on top of the bill. “Let me take it,” he requested.  
  
Sora’s hand drew back slowly, coming to linger on the end of the table. “You don’t have to,” the brunette insisted. “We can split it.”  
  
“I want to,” Riku was trying his best, again, to be smooth, pulling the black book towards himself. “My treat.”  
  
Sora conceded and worked on putting on his coat while Riku settled with the waiter. In a minute, the two were on the way to the lobby together, both generally happy with the date. It was snowing a little heavier now, to they decided to wait and grab a bus back together. Sora was looking contently out the window, that charming little smile on his face, the dim light from restaurant backlighting him in the dim little lobby.  
  
Riku shifted slowly closer, now standing beside Sora and looking out at the street with him. “Tonight was great,” he decided.  
  
“Yeah,” Sora agreed, sounding very relaxed.  
  
Riku licked his lips and glanced down at the slightly shorter man. Sora was so attractive. After a few deep breaths, he felt ready. One hand found Sora’s arm, then traveled up to the side of his face. Riku’s other hand resting on Sora’s other shoulder, turning him so they were facing each other. Riku stared gently at Sora’s eyes, gaze shifting down towards his lips. This is how dates should end. Sora’s hands found their way to Riku’s chest. For one very tender moment, they were there, so close, and then Riku began to move in, eyes slowly shutting. This was happening, he was finally making his move!  
  
But there was resistance. Sora’s hands kept a distance between the two, smoothing the fabric of Riku’s sweater instead. When he opened his eyes, Sora’s neck was craned back too and he had an awkward little smile. He kindly said, “hmm,” but he meant, “I don’t want you to kiss me.”  
  
Riku was disappointed, but more than that, he was embarrassed. Sora slipped from his arms and his hands returned to his side. Sora was blushing now, apologizing quietly, “sorry…”  
  
The flux of emotions inside Riku took an expected turn and he was filled with humiliation. His eyebrows pitched and he accused, “well, I hope this is what you expected from this date!” It came out meaner than he intended.  
  
Now, Sora looked confused. “You were the one who asked me on it!”  
  
The pieces weren’t adding up anymore. “Yeah, but _you_ were the one who thought it was a date,” Riku decided.  
  
“I only meant it as friends,” Sora insisted, his own temper rising too. Riku’s own intention was mirrored again, and now all these things had been done for no reason.  
  
“Then maybe we should just be friends,” Riku said, and the word had never stung so much. He was upset: he’d laid so much on the line and it had all gone wrong. Unwilling to wait for the bus with this terrible tension between them, he rushed out into the cold and stormed home, frustration at himself keeping him warm the whole way.


	7. Upset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update today, but hopefully that means shorter wait times for you all! Enjoy :)

Riku was so unbelievably pissed at himself for the next twenty-four hours, he honestly worried his blood would boil.  
  
He could not comprehend why he hadn’t reacted like a normal human being. Why couldn’t he have taken Sora’s denial passively? Would it have been so bad if he had laughed it off, embraced his friend instead? He convinced himself things would have been fine if he hadn’t gotten upset about it.  
  
The night wasn’t only his fault, though – as soon as Sora revealed he hadn’t been expecting a date, Riku knew there were other forces at play. He and Kairi worked it out over a teary FaceTime at around 1 am.  
  
“Look, I had no idea things would go wrong,” Kairi sniffed. “I knew you guys needed a push and I thought now was the right time…”  
  
“So you lied to both of us?” Riku cried. “I wish you’d just… I don’t know, given me your opinion or something and then I could’ve made the call.” He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “God, I made a fool of myself…”  
  
“I’m so sorry,” Kairi was genuinely upset. “I don’t know why Sora would do that, it doesn’t sound like him…  
  
Riku sucked it up and tightened his lips. “No matter why, we have to respect Sora’s choice. Please, just don’t… push us around anymore.”  
  
“You think I’d want to?” Kairi was shaken. “I wouldn’t think of it, Riku. I was just trying to help.”  
  
Riku ran his hands over his face, so tired of crying. “It’ll work out. I’ll talk to him. Please don’t do it for me.”  
  
“I promise I won’t,” Kairi solemnly swore. “I’m so sorry, Riku… I’m so sorry…”  
  
Their friendship had been through worse, and Riku knew it wasn't just Kairi’s fault. He’d wanted to kiss Sora, and he’d been the one who’d gotten mad. They just needed to sit down, talk it out, and things would go back to normal. Hopefully.  
  
Going to sleep without texting him felt strange.  
  
This trend continued for the weekend – Sora and Riku didn’t talk or see each other. Riku was angry at himself, enough to power a rage workout. Four miles later, his feet felt they might bleed yet he was still filled with manic energy. What would usually be a successful workout felt hollow with no one to compare it to. Where he would usually see the other on the treadmill next to him, there was no one. The sea of grey-haired heads usually gave the brunette nowhere to hide, so it was painfully obvious Sora wasn’t at the gym. Riku still didn’t want to text him – if Sora wasn’t ready to talk, he didn’t want to force it. They’d run into each other sooner or later.  
  
Monday rolled around and Riku left the apartment, his gaze lingering at Sora’s parallel building, waiting to see the other come out. He looked for Sora on the bus. He looked for him in the Starbucks line. He looked for him in the halls, in class, but the brunette was missing.  
  
Maybe he didn’t want to be found.  
  
Riku hit the gym again that night, hope that this dispute could be easily solved dwindling. Each passing hour that he didn’t hear from Sora felt like his friend was slipping away. He just continued to get more and more frustrated at himself for screwing things up, and this resulted in another anger-fueled workout at the gym.  
  
Riku hated feeling weak. He hated feeling like things were out of his control, like he couldn’t do anything to change them, to make them better. That was part of the reason why he’d started working out so much – in his university life, his fitness was one of the only things he could directly impact. He thought he was doing a good job with Sora, but clearly, the universe had different plans. He hadn’t cried over it since the night of, but his thoughts lingered as he sat at the chest press machine, hands pressed against the bar. He couldn’t stop remembering Sora’s hair haloed on the lights above him, spotting him, making sure he was okay.  
  
He channeled these emotions into his workout, bracing himself and easing the bar down, keeping his core tight as he pushed himself. He gritted his teeth, exerting as hard as he could. He tried to shut out feelings, to only feel his muscles shaking with exertion, not his heart aching in his chest. He told himself he wasn’t feeling for Sora, but he knew that was a lie.  
  
However, as he lifted the bar, he noticed he was starting to get choked up. He forced the bar back onto the rack above him, sitting up and putting his head in his hands, breathless. Why was this happening? He should be over it! As time started to pass and his heart rate didn’t slow and his breaths became more shallow, he started to think this was something more than just his emotions.  
  
Gingerly, he turned so he was sitting on the bench, hands on his knees, hunched forward to try to breathe easier. It made no difference. His heart was racing now. Thankfully, the gym manager was wandering in the vicinity and noticed Riku’s sudden shift.  “Are you okay?” he asked the teen.  
  
“I can’t breathe,” Riku managed, eyes wide. His chest was incredibly tight.  
  
This clearly set off some red flags in the manager’s head. “Alright, let’s get you some help. Stay there, alright?”  
  
Riku clearly didn’t have much of a choice. The lack of proper ventilation was getting to him, and he ended up in a near trance state, staring hard at the ground in front of him and focusing on getting what little air he could in and out of his lungs. In what seemed like no time at all, he was suddenly being loaded onto a stretcher with an oxygen mask pulled over his mouth, a lot of commotion around him and a sudden feeling of being lost.  
  
Sora was suddenly the last thing on his mind. What was wrong with him?  
  
Maybe these rage workouts weren’t so healthy.


	8. Low

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, I'm so sorry I've been neglecting this story! I really want to get it done! (This is what I get for trying to publish things I haven't finished writing, gr...) I'm not going to give this up, so hopefully I can get back on track with this. I mean, come on, everyone's getting excited for KH3 now! This chapter's a short one, and kinda narrative, and not much happens, but we're setting up for some good stuff. Thanks for sticking with it!

After a stressful trip to the hospital, a rushed entry to the ER, and a consult with a couple doctors, it became clear that Riku had a collapsed lung. Now, in the grand scheme of things, it was far from the worst thing that could have happened to him. Still, it meant surgery and a brief hospital stay, and he still struggled to breathe.  
  
Riku had never had a sports injury before. For all the years he’d been active, he’d just been lucky – never broken a bone, never gotten a concussion, not even a sprain. The doctors told him it was likely his workouts that had collapsed it, but that wasn’t the only possible cause. Regardless of how it had happened, he was happy that they figured it out quick. He was on a ventilator for the evening while they called his parents, filling them in on the situation. They were hours away but Riku wanted them there. He didn’t want to be alone.  
  
Overnight, he had surgery. They inserted a tube into Riku’s side and reinflated the lung. It didn’t take long and they only use local anesthesia, so he’d be ready to go home within forty-eight hours. He still was sore and felt gross. All this panic still hadn’t taken his mind off how much he missed Sora.  
  
He slept through the night, but the next morning, he had to stay around for observation, just in case. He’d been texting with his parents pretty consistently, and Kairi, but when the doctor asked him, “do you have anyone that can come escort you home,” that shit stung.  
  
Riku’s voice was very quiet and very low – his lungs were still painful to breathe through. “I’m not sure,” he just barely spoke, looking down.  
  
“It doesn’t have to be someone legally related to you,” the doctor assured him, thinking this would ease his conscious. “It can be a roommate or close friend – you must have met some people while you were at university here.”  
  
This was making Riku noticeably sad. He never really considered it before: all his life, he’d been a loner, so the lack of a tight-knit new gang of friends at university didn’t seem out of the blue. Now, he was starting to realize just how lonely he was. _Don’t make me call Sora,_ he was mentally begging the doctor. Eventually, he found the right words, “sure, yeah, I can find someone.”  
  
He then proceeded into a debrief about his condition – the tube would stay in his side for the next few days, then he’d have to come back to get it removed and get a couple stitches. Pain meds meant no alcohol until the course was complete which wouldn’t be an issue. Call back if any similar symptoms recur.  
  
“... And to prevent a similar injury while you’re recovering, you should stay away from the gym for six weeks.”  
  
Riku perked up in seconds, inhaling sharp enough to make his ribs hurt. “Wait – what?”  
  
The doctor’s expression was very serious. “It’s a lot more likely that your lung will collapse again if you exert similar pressure on it now. This could become a recurring thing if you don’t take the proper precautions. Six weeks should give it enough time to be good as new.”  
  
“So no weight-lifting?” Riku clarified.  
  
“Or cardio, or any serious exertion,” the doctor confirmed. “You should try to avoid anything that would usually increase your breathing rate. Walking should be fine, but you might notice you lose breath easier, and you might find it painful.” She could see the doubt on Riku’s face. “These precautions are to prevent pain, Mr. Miyano. You might be overestimating what you’re capable of.”  
  
Riku chewed his lip. Frankly, six weeks not at the gym was basically a death sentence for him. An eternity of nothingness. He’d be left an identity-less shell. He could hardly even consider what to say. “Okay,” he managed. It was definitely not okay.  
  
The doctor left to write up a prescription for some pain medicine and he now had the task of finding someone to take him home. Staring at his limited contacts list in his phone, his thumb hovered over Sora’s number. He even opened their text thread and stared at the messages – the last message being Thursday of the previous week. If his life were a TV drama, he’d call Sora, he’d rush to the hospital, they’d make up and make out. He knew that wasn’t realistic, and clearly, Sora didn’t see their relationship quite as seriously as Riku did. To save himself embarrassment a second time, he scrolled back to find someone else.  
  
He ended up calling a girl he hadn’t seen for a long time – Aqua, the leader of his orientation group when he’d been a freshman. She was trustworthy and put together and had a sporty blue hatchback that would definitely get him from the hospital back to his home. Although his request was out of the blue, she was empathetic and open-minded, willing to pick him up. The doctors gave him some crutches and a bag with his pills and he wobbled his way out to the waiting area, trying to inhale as easily as possible. Aqua was there, as requested, and she got out to help him get in. Riku was very thankful for the kindness of strangers.  
  
Aqua made him very comfortable in her warm little car, quiet pop playing over the radio. They talked lightly as she took him to his apartment – how have you been, what are your classes like – it helped take Riku’s mind off the crushing mess his life was becoming.  
  
Once he was in his room, without her company, it really started to set in.  
  
He continued to distract himself with a shower (carefully taping over the hole in his side), still grimy with sweat from his previous-day workout. He blasted music from his phone, trying to lose himself in the pulsing beat and the hiss of the water. He tried to tell himself this was good: it meant he had more time for school, more time to work on volunteering, making connections, maybe even finding himself an internship for the summer. The high-intensity competitive nature his relationship with Sora was founded on would relax back; instead, they would study together, get coffee, listen to more music and eat more fruit.

In his heart, he knew he wasn't being realistic. 


	9. Reunited

Once Riku started feeling better physically, his mental health improved as well. Later in the week, he’d risked it and went to the fitness centre, aching for a good workout, but as the doctor had predicted, it hurt his side. He knew this was a sign he should let it be, so he resigned himself to filling his time with other things.  
  
After a week, he cooled off about Sora again. Still, he didn’t text him – Riku sucked at texting first, even if he was just texting his mom. A serial over-thinker, he needed other people to initiate the conversations. He told himself it was alright, that he should let things happen organically the next time he saw Sora in person. After all, they seemed to see each other everywhere.  
  
So he looked for Sora. He kept his eye out every time he left the apartment, looking over to the adjacent building’s lobby. He always scanned all the faces on the bus. He listened for Sora’s order at Starbucks. He wandered the learning commons, peeking in rooms.  
  
He couldn’t find Sora anywhere.  
  
“He hates me.” Two Fridays later, with Sora still M.I.A., Riku was lying on his back on the floor FaceTiming Kairi from his laptop.  
  
“I don’t think Sora is capable of hating anyone,” she pointed out, painting her nails as they talked. “He’s not that kind of person.”  
  
“He is hardcore avoiding me,” Riku continued to stare at the ceiling, feeling drained. “There’s no way this is a coincidence.”  
  
“Maybe he’s just embarrassed like you are,” Kairi offered. “And it might just be a coincidence. Like fate. Like, when you don’t want to see each other, he’s everywhere, and when you really need him, he’s always, like, _one_ room away?”  
  
“It really seems like he’s dropped off the face of the earth,” Riku pointed out.  
  
Kairi snorted. “Maybe not that much. He still sends me a streak on Snapchat every day, and he sent me a few Twitter memes this week.”  
  
“Have you talked to him about it?” Riku asked.  
  
“Not since right after,” she admitted. “He took it hard. I still feel shitty. I can tell he’s shaken, he feels manipulated. I don’t think he’d even trust me enough to talk about it now.”  
  
“As long as he’s okay, then it’s fine,” the blond decided. He sighed and put his head in his hands. “Kai, he’s causing me so much duress! He’s really out here getting me right in my feelings.” Kairi laughed at Riku’s description. “That’s what I get for being soft. I think I’m done with boys for a little while.”  
  
“Sora’s a good one, I gotta admit,” she agreed, smiling. “I don’t think this is the end. And it’s not _bad_ to be vulnerable. You need to stop caring so much about strength.”  
  
This was a little difficult, considering strength was such an integral part of Riku’s identity. “I dunno. I just hope he shows up sooner or later. He’s making me feel guilty af.”  
  
Kairi’s smile became warmer. “You’re even talking like him.”  
  
This caught Riku off guard. He propped himself up. “What, what do you mean? The-the abbreviations? I mean, it’s Sora- _esque_ , but he’s not the only one who can do it!” Kairi was amused at Riku’s indignation.  
  
“Whatever,” she redirected, “you’re right; I hope he turns up soon, too. Keep me posted.”  
  
“I always do,” Riku smiled just a bit.  
  
Still, his worry for Sora was becoming a very real thing. He wanted to know that his friend was alright, no matter the cost. It was nearly alarming how long it ha been since he bumped into the short brunette. Didn’t they have more in common than just the gym?  
  
It was probably about two and a half weeks past their date when Riku finally spotted that familiar head of messy locks.  
  
Of course, it was probably the worst time it could have happened. It was in the hall during class change, the main funnel from one building to the next. Riku was tall, so it was easy for him to look down and see Sora, but the chances of him making his way through the crowd towards him were slim to none. “Sora,” he called out, trying not to yell but wanting to be heard.  
  
The brunette turned his head (the wrong way, of course), looking for the source of his name, half wondering if he’d heard it. Riku repeated, “Sora, over here!”  
  
The freshman turned around, finally, eyes locking onto the taller man. “Riku!” he called.  
  
The crowd continued to push them along, Sora now walking backward to keep pace, struggling to keep his gaze on Riku. “Don’t go anywhere!” Riku called, trying to shoulder his way past people.  
  
The rush of other students was irresistible, carrying the two along. “I can’t!” Sora helplessly cried.  
  
Setting his jaw, Riku wiggled his way past a couple people more until he was only an arm’s length away from Sora, then he reached out and grabbed the other’s hand, pulling him off to the side. Together, they waded their way out of the flood of students, forcing themselves to the edge of the hall and darting into an empty classroom. It took so much exertion, they were both panting by the time they were out of the crowd.  
  
For a second, they just stood there, forgetting what it was like to be around each other. They were getting really good and coming in and out of each other’s lives very rapidly. Riku’s hand was still around Sora’s wrist, feeling like a lifetime had passed since they’d last touched.  
  
Sora’s neat brown eyebrows suddenly knotted on his forehead. “Riku…” And everything that Riku had been afraid of seemed to be happening before his eyes – Sora was going to tell him to leave him alone for good, to take the hint, to let himself be ghosted. Riku began to get very hot and wondered why he’d even been looking for Sora.  
  
But the conversation didn’t go that way. Sora turned his wrist so that his hand was on Riku’s, cupping it with both hands. “I looked everywhere for you!” Sora suddenly cried, looking at Riku with so much raw emotion.  
  
This caught the blond completely off guard. He just stood there, mouth falling open, not able to believe what he was hearing. “... w-what?”  
  
“Where have you been?” Sora was clearly distressed, gripping Riku’s hand as if he was afraid if he let go, he’d lose Riku again forever. “I haven’t seen you in weeks!”  
  
“Where have _you_ been?” Riku suddenly, snapped it to it, happy and relieved that Sora’s reaction was positive.  
  
“I’ve been everywhere,” Sora claimed, “I’ve been looking for you at the gym every day – I’ve been there for _hours,_ Riku, I thought you were avoiding me –”  
  
“I…” Riku was getting breathless. “I would never. Sora, I’m serious, I would never avoid you. I thought _you_ were avoiding me.”  
  
“Why didn’t you let me know you were okay?” Sora asked earnestly.  
  
The conversation paused as Riku tried to find the right thing to say. _I didn’t want to text first_ sounded stupid and childish. “I wasn’t okay,” slipped out before Riku realized how many implications came along with that statement.  
  
“What?” Sora looked so sad. In the most literal sense, Riku pulled up his shirt to reveal the surgically bandaged spot where the stitches still healed. The brunette’s blue eyes bulged and his mouth was now the one gaping.  
  
“I… my lung collapsed,” Riku filled him in. “It’s not serious, I was fine, but I just… I don’t know. I didn’t want the first thing I said after our dinner to be about this. I can’t go to the gym for weeks.”  
  
“Oh my gosh…” Sora covered his mouth. “I’m so… Riku, I’m sorry…”  
  
“It’s not a big deal, it’s not important,” Riku insisted. “I’m not okay with how our date went. Our not-date. I just…” he exhaled, the words abandoning him again. “I didn’t want it to end like that. I don’t know what I was thinking. _I’m_ the one who should be sorry, not you. I get it if you’re not like that, I’m sorry, I just want to be around you, Sora, you’re just…” He trailed off, not knowing where that sentiment was headed. “I freaking _like_ you, idiot. Can’t you see I don’t want to miss any chance to be with you?”  
  
Sora’s eyes got as big as saucers. Riku was starting to think that that wasn’t the right thing to say. Well, at least now, it was out there, and after this, he’d know for certain if Sora was avoiding him or not. The brunette took a steadying breath and gave Riku’s hand a little squeeze. “Riku… I’m… I really like you too. I just… I didn’t want to rush and spoil things…” He was actually blushing now. “I’m… in it for the long haul. I didn’t want to take things too fast.”  
  
Riku was now the one surprised. “ _You_ like _me?”_ he repeated in disbelief.  
  
Sora shrugged. “I dunno, I thought you might be able to tell with how much time I was spending around you the last two months? Of course I do, what isn’t there to like?” He smiled. “Sometimes, things just have to happen slow. Y’know what I mean?”  
  
“Absolutely!” Riku agreed. “So like… we’re not over?”  
  
Sora shook his head. “Nope. But we have to walk before we run, okay? You don’t need to go all out with these stereotypical dates. I just want,” he shrugged, “I dunno, you and me, eating fruit, listening to music.”  
  
Riku’s chest was so warm. His heart was so fat. “I can do that,” he smiled. “I’d like that.”  
  
Sora glanced at Riku’s watch, still clasped in his hands. “Well, we’re both late to class now. Want to go home and do it?”  
  
Riku was still beaming. “Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! This is kinda cheesy and I'm not fully happy with how it went down, but it had to happen sooner or later. Thanks to everyone who's made it this far :)


	10. Together

Three months and a heck of a lot of communication later, Sora and Riku were happy to call each other boyfriends.  
  
As winter turned to spring, Riku learned to run at Sora’s pace. With their relationship based in competition, Riku had been filled with the expectation that he had to be the best at everything – the best datemate, the first kisser. Sora let him show the part of him that was okay with being second best if it meant someone else got to shine.  
  
Pan into Sora’s apartment, still decorated like the beach, but the living room is empty. From his bedroom, soft, rhythmic breaths emanated.  
  
“Come on, just like that,” Riku softly instructed, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
Sora’s the one doing the breathing. “Ohhhh, Riku, it’s too much…”  
  
“Don’t stop,” Riku insisted, “You’re so close… just a couple more…”  
  
“Three, two one…” Sora strained, and then their facade was broken as a timer went off and Sora dropped down from his final push up, Riku cheering him on from beside.  
  
“Sora, that’s amazing,” Riku’s voice returned to its normal volume. “Fifty pushups. Your abs are going to be rock solid by summer.”  
  
Sora was now lying on his stomach, stretching up like a seal. He kicked the resistance band off his legs. “You really kept me going there. Thank you.”  
  
“Don’t mention it,” Riku got to his feet. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”  
  
The two showered together quite frequently now – in their busy lives, it was one of the few private times they had. After working out in tandem at the Fitness Centre, they would regularly bus home sweatily so they could shower together in one of their apartments without the concern of getting caught. Of course, today would be no different.  
  
Both had been comfortable around each other for a while now, and surprisingly, showering was not overly sexual. Today, when both of them stripped and ran the water, Sora was invested in telling Riku all about what the hardest question on his biology exam was.  
  
“It was my last exam, but it was the hardest!” Everything Sora said was always so enthusiastic; it was one of his endless charms. Riku was sure that part of the reason he was so comfortable naked around his boyfriend was that Sora never made a big deal of it – it was just another normal part of their day. Sora was under the showerhead first, washing the cool sweat off his body. “There was a six point question on the last page about the cisternal maturation model and I don’t even remember learning that! Science is so not for me, oh my gosh.”  
  
Riku smiled fondly. “So what did you put?”  
  
“I dunno,” Sora shrugged and they switched places. “Something about the golgi.” As Riku got his hair wet and stroked it back off his face, Sora trailed off. He reached up to touch Riku’s face. “Wow. You look really good.”  
  
Riku squinted his eyes and cocked his head in a doubtful fashion. “Uh… thank you.” 

“Man, Riku, you’re awesome!” Sora earnestly insisted. “I literally love you!”  
  
Riku’s face relaxed. “I love you too. And you’re not so bad yourself.” Sora passed him the shampoo bottle and Riku pooled and lathered it in his hands before rubbing it into Sora’s mess of brown locks. Riku chuckled. “You do look really different with your hair flat.” Playfully, he straightened Sora’s hair down onto either side, leaving him with a middle part.  
  
Sora snorted. “That’s why I keep it spiked.” He looked at himself in the little foggy mirror in the shower that he used to shave. “It makes me look like you.” He gave a goofy smile. “This is what our kids will look like.”  
  
This brought a strange warmth to Riku’s chest. Sora always had a way of confirming his long-term intentions in a totally relaxed way. “I think they’d be super cute,” Riku agreed after a pause to find the right words. “But, in the meantime, spikes suit you better.”  
  
Sora smiled. “You’re right. Now let me into the water, it’s your turn to shampoo!”  
  
Their shower carried on, each caringly helping the other become clean. By the time things were starting to heat up (Sora never could resist Riku’s muscles), there was a loud knock at the door.  
  
Both of them froze.   
  
“Kairi’s here,” Sora suddenly hushed his voice. “Was her plane early?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Riku whispered. “Is the door locked?”  
  
The door creaked open. Sora breathed. “Guess not.” He shut the shower off, reaching for the towel. “Hey Kai, just give me a second, just finishing up my shower!”  
  
He wrapped up with a towel. “Does she know I’m here?” Riku whispered.  
  
“I don’t think so,” Sora muttered. “I’ll go out and distract her, then you can run into my room and change, okay?”   
  
Riku lingered nude behind the shower curtain as Sora shrouded himself in the single towel and opened the bathroom door, allowing the steam to pool out. “Hey Kai, great to see you,” Sora enthusiastically pantomimed, not letting on that his boyfriend remained naked behind him. “Your flight was so early! Sorry I wasn’t ready, it’ll just take me half a sec to get changed.”  
  
“Of course,” Kairi’s voice matched his positivity. “Can I just wait in the living room?”  
  
“Sure,” Sora said in a way that sounded a lot like _no._ “Be right back.” The door to his room closed and Riku could hear his drawers being opened. Kairi had a seat on Sora’s big comfy couch.  
  
In a very short amount of time, Sora was changed and back out in the living room. In a quick motion, he buffed his dripping hair with the towel, and with a couple swoops of his hand, it was back to its normal, spiky glory. “Here, let me show you how the aloe you got me last year is doing!” He tossed the towel into the bathroom door, just barely over the threshold, but enough that Riku could grab it. Riku was asking himself _why_ it was today that they’d only brought on towel, but he grabbed it nonetheless, covering himself, and bolting into Sora’s room while Kairi’s back was turned. As quickly as he could, he dried his body, grabbed his shorts, scavenged through Sora’s drawer for something that would fit him, squeezed the droplets out of his hair. Now, he just had to make it look like he was arriving…  
  
With a peak out the door, he saw both Kairi and Sora with their backs turned, still in the kitchen at the window. It was ten feet to the front door, and he was sure somehow, if he opened it, he could fool them into thinking he was just coming in for the first time.  
  
But, of course, fate had other plans. He placed one foot over the threshold to begin creeping over, and the floor let out a loud creak as he applied his weight.  
  
So Kairi and even Sora both turned to find Riku, still dripping wet, shirt far too small and on backwards, sneaking out of Sora’s room.  
  
It only took Kairi 0.2 seconds to catch on to what was happening. She buckled over and slapped the counter, laughing out loud. “You guys have me _dead!”_ she exclaimed.  
  
Riku’s face just flushed. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he exclaimed, not knowing what else to say.  
  
“I’m sorry, you just look so funny trying to sneak away…” she straightened up, covering her face. “Ok, wait a sec, lemme get this straight – so, _knowing I’d be arriving in the next hour,_ you decided you should shower together and then stage this elaborate hoax to sneak Riku back outside?” She watched Riku immediately tense and rushed to ease the situation: “Look, I don’t have a problem with it. You didn’t have to make it a big deal. You can do what you want — you’re adults! It’s ok. It’s cute!”  
  
“It’s private!” Riku interrupted.  
  
“Hey,” Sora stepped in, approaching Riku, voice gentle. “It’s ok. It’s not a big deal. It’s just Kairi!” When his hand rested on Riku’s forearm, all was well with the world.  
  
The blond very quickly relaxed at Sora's touch and even smiled, ruffling a hand through his wet hair. “I guess… I-I mean, you’re right, Sora, I just…”  
  
“Wow,” Kairi marvelled at the two of them. “He’s had a big impact on you!”  
  
“Only for the better!” Sora beamed and hugged Riki’s torso. “Ok, go dry off and get dressed for real. Since you’re here so early, Kai, now you have to help me with dinner!”  
  
Riku was happy with the light Sora brought to his life. His big, awkward tendency to embarrass himself was finally something he could laugh at because Sora was always impressed, no matter what. He found his own shirt, which had been under Sora’s bed, and was able to take his time blowdrying his hair while Sora and Kairi made pork chops for the three of them.  
  
From the door to Sora’s room, Riku lingered and watched his two friends talk quietly as they made food. “You’re doing good, right?” Kairi confirmed softly. “I mean, I love Riku with my whole heart, but he’s sometimes a lot to deal with.”  
  
“Of course!” Sora exclaimed. “If anything, _he_ has to deal with me!”  
  
“Good,” Kairi smiled. “I just want y’all to be happy, y’know?”  
  
Hearing this was so comforting and concerting, it made Riku’s heart happy. He opened the door deliberately so it creaked, making his presence known for their hushed conversation to come to an end. “Anything I can do to help with dinner?”  
  
He set the table, poured drinks, and helped them serve the food once it was ready. Sitting with Kairi was nice, but Riku couldn’t help but bask in Sora’s glow. The whole evening, he was enamoured watching his boyfriend light up to their mutual friend. All former tension towards Kairi was long in the past now, only peace between the three friends. When the sun went down and they got tired, Kairi settled onto Sora’s couch and Riku felt no awkwardness admitting that he’d be spending the night in Sora’s bed. He was willing to do anything to be with the brunette.  
  
Eventually, they curled in under the covers together, Kairi quietly watching the news softly from the other room. Riku carded a hand through strands of Sora’s hair. “It took us so long to get here,” the blond quietly referenced their long history in awe.  
  
Sora snuggled a bit closer, pressing his face into Riku’s neck. “Yeah… but I’m so happy we worked out in the end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, cheesy ending. A huge thanks to everyone who stuck it out! This story has taken a painfully long time to write, but it was a fun ride the whole way through. Stay tuned for more similar stories in the future - I'm already having more cute Soriku ideas, but I can't keep this story going forever... Find me on twitter @dreamyheartz if you like soriku retweets ;)
> 
> Thanks again, everyone! Happy holidays.


End file.
